Performance ratings
Posted by: Mabelode, King of Swords on 17 February 2006
Got my performance rating a few days ago. It was a good rating, but not as high as I thought I deserved. The reasons given by my boss were quite lame, I thought. I shouldn't be pissed off, really, but I am.
Just had to get that off my chest, thanks. Bye.
Steve
Just had to get that off my chest, thanks. Bye.
Steve
For the first time in my career I found myself this year responsible for delivering such performance ratings to our staff. I rate my performance at doing it as piss-poor 
. What I did learn is that that getting the constructive part of the process across is very difficult when people are still focussed on a negative ( 'no promotion this year' etc).
Lame platitudes, a few of which I heard coming from my own mouth, were just an attempt to either provide some cushioning or fill an embarassing silence.
We live and learn ...
Ian
. What I did learn is that that getting the constructive part of the process across is very difficult when people are still focussed on a negative ( 'no promotion this year' etc). Lame platitudes, a few of which I heard coming from my own mouth, were just an attempt to either provide some cushioning or fill an embarassing silence.
We live and learn ...
Ian
I'm not always convinced that the human race achieves better results by cut-throat competition than it would by cheerful cooperation. Better a happy worker who locks the group together with a grin. Than a solitary ego freak who splits it up with his endless attempts to place hmself above all others in the rat race. We each have strengths and weakness. It's just that we choose not to measure those that really matter where mere employment results are concerned. So the popular, cheerful workers move on to pastures new. Hoping for better acceptance of their interpersonal skills. The dregs fighting over tiny percentage points go their seperate ways but stay within the company. Where their narrow range of skills are constantly praised and rewarded by similar results-orientated types in management. Meanwhile moral is going through the floor and overall results plummet. Because the customer has long been forgotten in the endless battle to succeed against their fellow workers.
Though not always possible I would suggest that those reviewed have an equal right to anonymously review their own manager's performance. Then at least everybody is unhappy until changes are made. But do be careful what you wish for. The world is full of potentially crap managers just waiting to sink a few knives into assorted back. They just look normal until they are chosen.
I find it fascinating that those staff reviews which praised management were made by those fearing for their jobs. What they said in private was the complete opposite of their marking.
While the more honest (scathing?) reviews resulted in real changes in the management structure. Though not always for the better. Some managements seems to have an infinite ability to make bad choices.
You cannot seperate the personal from the personnel.
Though not always possible I would suggest that those reviewed have an equal right to anonymously review their own manager's performance. Then at least everybody is unhappy until changes are made. But do be careful what you wish for. The world is full of potentially crap managers just waiting to sink a few knives into assorted back. They just look normal until they are chosen.
I find it fascinating that those staff reviews which praised management were made by those fearing for their jobs. What they said in private was the complete opposite of their marking.
While the more honest (scathing?) reviews resulted in real changes in the management structure. Though not always for the better. Some managements seems to have an infinite ability to make bad choices.
You cannot seperate the personal from the personnel.
quote:Originally posted by Nime:
I'm not always convinced that the human race achieves better results by cut-throat competition than it would by cheerful cooperation. Better a happy worker who locks the group together with a grin. Than a solitary ego freak who splits it up with his endless attempts to place hmself above all others in the rat race.
Yep!
Nime, you can't imagine how many happy rats i see every morning.
The world is full of the indispensible, Steve.
Prime ministers, dictators, mafia leaders and managing directors all drop like flies but the world goes on rotating.
If you have valuable skills then why are you still prostituting yourself for a company that doesn't value you or your skills?
Life is too short to be wasting time being discouraged by the blind and inadequate putting up defenses around their own desks.
Just be careful what you wish for.
Prime ministers, dictators, mafia leaders and managing directors all drop like flies but the world goes on rotating.
If you have valuable skills then why are you still prostituting yourself for a company that doesn't value you or your skills?
Life is too short to be wasting time being discouraged by the blind and inadequate putting up defenses around their own desks.
Just be careful what you wish for.
Nime
There's indispensable, then there's me!
How's that for healthy self-esteem!
The company will suffer when I leave, there's no doubt about that. It won't go bust, but it will suffer, and there are a variety of reasons why it will struggle to replace me.
But fear not, I'm experienced enough not to jump recklessly into another job, and I'll bide my time until I find the right move to make. Until then, I'll keep doing my job as well as I can.
Steve
There's indispensable, then there's me!
How's that for healthy self-esteem!The company will suffer when I leave, there's no doubt about that. It won't go bust, but it will suffer, and there are a variety of reasons why it will struggle to replace me.
But fear not, I'm experienced enough not to jump recklessly into another job, and I'll bide my time until I find the right move to make. Until then, I'll keep doing my job as well as I can.
Steve
Sleeping you way to the top, eh...? 
Not an avenue open to all but it comes eventually and you should enjoy it.
A recent company reorganisation resulted in the arrival of a right tosser as the new unit director. In doing my appraisal (as with others, cause I checked) the atmosphere was completely negative with all the percieved failures to be examined in gory detail. I stood this until item two on the list then suggested before carrying on he check the last page where I had complied with the requirements to fill in my improvement plan in several subsections. I had filled in as answer to all paragraphs "RETIREMENT"
I then suggested he carry on with his analysis of my failings making it very clear by attitude and large grin that I no longer gave a shit!!
UHUMPH ...This only works if it's true as in my case.
Am I Sorry for you young whippersnappers that have to carry on...Naahh I've earned it
A recent company reorganisation resulted in the arrival of a right tosser as the new unit director. In doing my appraisal (as with others, cause I checked) the atmosphere was completely negative with all the percieved failures to be examined in gory detail. I stood this until item two on the list then suggested before carrying on he check the last page where I had complied with the requirements to fill in my improvement plan in several subsections. I had filled in as answer to all paragraphs "RETIREMENT"
I then suggested he carry on with his analysis of my failings making it very clear by attitude and large grin that I no longer gave a shit!!
UHUMPH ...This only works if it's true as in my case.
Am I Sorry for you young whippersnappers that have to carry on...Naahh I've earned it
Geoff,
Brilliant. In view of the idiocy of his attitude, I hope you are able to extract every last penny if you decide to continue. Myself I'd be off like a shot if I could, when faced with an idiot like that.
I had a nasty barny with a senior manager at work last week, and ended up just saying to him,
"Well you just have not thought this out, have you? Pathetic....
Naturally he was not best pleased and said, "Never speak to me like that again."
By now I was seriously digging a hole for myself, and replied, "I doubt if I ahall be in the job long enough to speak to you again anyway."
Next day I apologised, and was staggered that he repiprocated, and said that I had a point... "Now let's get this resolved. How do you want it done!" Well really I expected a roasting even though I was undoubtedly right in the first place. I have never been assessed as such in a job, but I have in other circumstances, and had to throw in a self-assessment first. Naturally I painted a very modest picture. It was sublime, the whole thing was moderated upwards, and then when it was remoderated it was put up again, which I found hilarious. I would have had to have been very drunk to put what was finally written!
Generally I get on very well, at work, with everyone, except idiots. The production director asked me why our little team is always happy? I replied that I make sure they are, as they hardly notice there are working if they are also smiling. We get a good 30 to 40% more prodution per man hour than our sister shift, who actually really don't like us much, but I'd rather keep a nice atmosphere than be dog in the manger all day and go home miserable. My two Polish assitants are not frightened of me so any mistake become the focus of an attempt to fix it or prevent it getting more serious, rather than any big time bolluckings, and recrimination. Humans make mistakes. the more work they do the more mistakes will show. It is intersting that our sister shift make more mistakes than we do, 'as a proportion of the work done,' though rather fewer over any given period of time. Lazy Bas....as, as my two call them!
Fredrik
Brilliant. In view of the idiocy of his attitude, I hope you are able to extract every last penny if you decide to continue. Myself I'd be off like a shot if I could, when faced with an idiot like that.
I had a nasty barny with a senior manager at work last week, and ended up just saying to him,
"Well you just have not thought this out, have you? Pathetic....
Naturally he was not best pleased and said, "Never speak to me like that again."
By now I was seriously digging a hole for myself, and replied, "I doubt if I ahall be in the job long enough to speak to you again anyway."
Next day I apologised, and was staggered that he repiprocated, and said that I had a point... "Now let's get this resolved. How do you want it done!" Well really I expected a roasting even though I was undoubtedly right in the first place. I have never been assessed as such in a job, but I have in other circumstances, and had to throw in a self-assessment first. Naturally I painted a very modest picture. It was sublime, the whole thing was moderated upwards, and then when it was remoderated it was put up again, which I found hilarious. I would have had to have been very drunk to put what was finally written!
Generally I get on very well, at work, with everyone, except idiots. The production director asked me why our little team is always happy? I replied that I make sure they are, as they hardly notice there are working if they are also smiling. We get a good 30 to 40% more prodution per man hour than our sister shift, who actually really don't like us much, but I'd rather keep a nice atmosphere than be dog in the manger all day and go home miserable. My two Polish assitants are not frightened of me so any mistake become the focus of an attempt to fix it or prevent it getting more serious, rather than any big time bolluckings, and recrimination. Humans make mistakes. the more work they do the more mistakes will show. It is intersting that our sister shift make more mistakes than we do, 'as a proportion of the work done,' though rather fewer over any given period of time. Lazy Bas....as, as my two call them!
Fredrik
Perhaps we should call this thread "Performance Rantings"?
Being perfectly honest, clear and precise with one's superiors about working conditions can help produce remarkable change. What have you to lose except yet another job in a frustrating situation?
Most people reduce themselves to making personal attacks and offering vague, critical generalisations. Which are easily defended and achieve precisely nothing except resentment on both sides.
There is a wide gulf between being a moaning minnie and a knowledgable critic working for improvement. It still depends if anyone is willing to listen to a well thought out and constructive submission from the lower ranks. If they are not listening then move on and watch the firm languish from afar. With that warm sense of smugness that comes from being right.
If management doesn't recognise anger and frustration as clear signs of a worker actually caring about the job then they have lost sight of their reason for existence.
If management isn't constantly working towards satisfying the customer then they are simply lost empire builders in the shifting sands of the desert. Impressive in hindsight but the ruins leave few clues as to the reason for failure except dwindling resources.(customers)
To misquote the popular saying: If you're not working for us (the customer) then you're against us.
Or as I enjoy saying to my wife in almost every supermarket and shop we visit: "Don't let the customer get in the way of the staff!" You'd be amazed how often this applies. If the staff on the shop floor haven't been educated about customer service then what the hell is happening further up the food chain?
Being perfectly honest, clear and precise with one's superiors about working conditions can help produce remarkable change. What have you to lose except yet another job in a frustrating situation?
Most people reduce themselves to making personal attacks and offering vague, critical generalisations. Which are easily defended and achieve precisely nothing except resentment on both sides.
There is a wide gulf between being a moaning minnie and a knowledgable critic working for improvement. It still depends if anyone is willing to listen to a well thought out and constructive submission from the lower ranks. If they are not listening then move on and watch the firm languish from afar. With that warm sense of smugness that comes from being right.
If management doesn't recognise anger and frustration as clear signs of a worker actually caring about the job then they have lost sight of their reason for existence.
If management isn't constantly working towards satisfying the customer then they are simply lost empire builders in the shifting sands of the desert. Impressive in hindsight but the ruins leave few clues as to the reason for failure except dwindling resources.(customers)
To misquote the popular saying: If you're not working for us (the customer) then you're against us.
Or as I enjoy saying to my wife in almost every supermarket and shop we visit: "Don't let the customer get in the way of the staff!" You'd be amazed how often this applies. If the staff on the shop floor haven't been educated about customer service then what the hell is happening further up the food chain?